I got a dozen guys comming for football, horse racing {2 TV'S}, poker, food and libation.Everybody gave me $20 bucks to cover the meal, I didn't ask for it but that's the way they are.Appetizers Shrimp, stuffed mushrooms and cherrystonesAntipastoFor the meal- French onion soup, a 109 prime rib, baked stuffed potatoes and green beans almondine. I may do savory popovers with the pan drippings, just a thought.Later as the games progress pizza homemade.All this can be done in advance with minimum stress to me, but the septic system that's another story. This was all dumped on me yesterday. Chow Jim

The start of the new year begins with my birthday today and mince meat pie instead of cake. That tradition started when I could never convince my parents and later my wife that mince meat pie was suitable for Thanksgiving or Christmas but it never got bumped ahead of apple, pumpkin and pecan pie. The last two years I made my holiday breaded pork tenderloins on this day but without a functioning kitchen that will be delayed.

New Year's Eve is nothing special. We seldom go out and many a time we cheated and celebrated the east coast new year Times Square ball drop at 11 in the Central time zone.

New Year's day will start out with my wife, daughter, two sisters-in-law, daughter-in-law and son diving into frigid Lake Minnetonka for the American Lung Association's annual On It and In It polar plunge for charity. It is predicted to be minus 1 degrees New Year's morning. Some one has to be the official photographer in the family. I relunctantly volunteer every year.

Like I said, since we have no functioning kitchen, we will then go to a friend's house for breakfast brunch. Later we will have the blackeyed peas for good luck, a tradition I learned in the Navy. For the longest time you could not find blackeyed peas in Minnesota. My wife will have her pickled herring, a tradition passed down through her Staten Island, NY family history. Since we have no functioning kitchen we were not home for Christmas thus no Christmas goose and the subsequent rendered goose fat to spread on toast New Year's day this season. That was another tradition of my wife's family. My tradition is to drink beer and watch football.

Without a functioning kitchen but working stove we may have to start a new tradition this year - frozen pizza.

Davyyd-I have been through the complete ripping out of a kitchen, and the remodeling...I love all my new appliances,cabinets and floors-but I know the pain!!I didnt coordinate it correctly and had my new things in my living room while the floor was still being laid.I love following the completion of your kitchen-when all is said and done, you will marvel at the beauty!! Happy New Year..Ann

After cooking the scallops, I deglazed the pan with white wine, added toasted sesame seeds, capers, a tiny splash of balsamic vinegar, juice of half a large lemon, and more butter, reduced it to a near-syrup, and served the whole mess up. It was accompanied by Möet 5-star, which is sweet but not too sweet.

All of these New Years Day feasts sound incredible! I am Italian, so the big meal for us is the 7 fishes on Christmas Eve. I see that several of you have pork of some kind and sauerkraut. Is this a German tradition? Also, is anyone on here aware of any Asian customs for New Years Day? I know that they have a lot of them and am intrigued.

Actually, I guess I do have a somewhat of a tradition on NY Day, I get some Egg Foo Young, it's helps out wonderfully with a hangover!

I'm southern, and I'm German, and I'm Native American, and French. I have never been a fan of sauerkraut unless it's been on an occasional, very occasional, dog. Of the hot variety. I more closely relate to my German and Native American heritages. As for Asian customs for New Year's Day, I believe that particular holiday has become a big drunk fest throughout the world. I know that typically, you can only find open on Christmas restaurants that are Asian or Hispanic. The Hispanic part has always confused me in that they typically, (yes, worn out word), are of Catholic origins, ergo, one would assume a Christian following of our Federal Holidays. But, we are becoming one nation under Montezuma anyway, so, who gives a rat's. (Yes, a period, rather than a question mark. It's a rhetorical question.)

Bump it up. I'm making the same menu for today 1/1/10. The rice is always a plain white rice with the lamb. The lamb has been marinated in blenderized garlic, rosemary, onion, kumquats,. What are you making?

My New Year's Eve dinner was a delicious ribeye and baked potato at Lone Star Steakhouse ( yes, it's a chain but, in my experience, a consistantly good one ), and lunch today will be a Chicago-style hot dog at Portillo's. Nothing but gourmet food for this roadfooder...

I had NYE to myself so I grilled some Klement's beer brats, and yesterday I grilled some beef spare ribs, a beer can-style chicken, and some broccoli and cauliflower. Today it'll be a t-bone steak for dinner and tomorrow it'll be chicken thighs and more brats.

Funny- but our menu this New Year's Day was pretty close to what we had back in 01/01/08- with a few tweaks- the pulled pork became something my sister-in-law calls "chulupa"- pork slow cooked with chilis and cumin and either pinto beans or blackeyed peas, and a little sofrito, served over fritos or tortilla chips; we still had cole slaw, no cornbread and no cheesecake- but we had homemade chocolate chip cookies.......

This is almost embarrassing. We ate well New Year's Eve: 1½" prime rib-eye steaks with mushrooms sautéed in butter and red wine; baked potatoes; tossed salad with home-made raspberry vinaigrette; and home-made white fruitcake. At midnight we toasted with Grand Brut from Perrier-Jouet, with a Long Clawson (Gloucestershire) white Stilton infused with lemon zest, spread on Carr's Water Crackers.

But our first meal of the actual New Year's Day was at 12:05: black-eyed peas with onion, ham, salt, cracked red and black pepper, and garlic. (We're pretty traditional around my place!) Later in the day it was assorted leftovers. Nothing at all fancy!

My wife and I ate at the Family Cupboard restaurant In Amish Country!! It was one of only 2 places open! and we had a nice late lunch buffet!! Good Pork and sauerkraut!! among other goodies!! Fried chicken, buttered noodles, mashed potataoes, glazed Ham, string beans, carrots,corn, stuffing, gravy, assorted desserts, and cakes, rice pudding, and really great little warm dinner rolls with/ soft butter!!